BlissAndConversation.com

 Reviewing Your Life On Stage and Screen

How often do we go to a theatre to escape the problems and mundanities of everyday life?  How often do we come out of the theatre talking about what we saw, what it meant and, specifically, what it meant to us and how it made us feel about ourselves in the world as we see it?  This series is a contribution to that dialogue.  We hope you’ll add your comments to reviewing your life on stage and screen.

Tom Hanks 

         Director Mike Nichols and screenwrter Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”, “A Few Good Men:”) have turned George Criles’ book into one of the few war movies that has managed to be both funny and forceful.  That’s largely due to Tom Hanks who plays Texas congressman Charlie Wilson as a lovable hedonistic everyman and Philip Seymour Hoffman who makes CIA agent Gust Avrakotos a gruff foil who shares Charlie’s lust for fun and, along with Julia Roberts as Texas millionairess Joanne Herring, prods him into using his shrewd manipulative pork barrel skills to covertly procure arms for Afghanistan to use against the invading Soviets. 

      “You’re no James Bond,” Charlie growls at Gus.  “You’re no Thomas Jefferson, so let’s call it even,” Gus retorts. 

     Although some complained that the movie stopped before the Taliban take-over of Afganistan, the film keeps the focus on Charlie, ending with an awards ceremony honoring him, making the movie a sort of middle-aged coming-of-age story.  A wise choice because when the camera is on Hanks seeing the story from his point of view, it works.  Charlie Wilson’s fraternity-boy gaucherie is bolstered by Roberts’ and Hoffman’s gruff worldliness.  It’s a story of politics as well as a picture of American social mores.

     Making this movie work for you.  In this political year, “Charlie Wilson’s War” is a nudge towards the way we perceive things.  Why we see things the way we do, why we do what we do about them, who influences us and why, getting out into the field and seeing the truth and then some.  Though not metaphysical, “Charlie Wilson’s War” makes a case for the opening of the third eye.